Method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for providing a self-service interface

ABSTRACT

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for programmatically generating and/or revising deal offers for a merchant based on one or more merchant self-service indicators. In providing such functionality, the system can be configured to, for example, facilitate registration and verification of merchant identities, monitor and analyze various deal offers for merchants with similar merchant self-service indicators, that enable the system to determine the relative successfulness of a deal offer for a merchant and/or category of merchant. In some embodiments, the system may be further configured to revise the deal offer programmatically and/or upon receiving the merchant&#39;s approval of the programmatically generated proposed edits to the deal offer.

FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate, generally, to providing aninterface to a commerce system and, more particularly, to a method,apparatus, and computer readable medium for providing a merchantself-service interface.

BACKGROUND

Merchants sell goods and services (collectively referred to herein as“products”) to consumers. The merchants can often control the form oftheir product offers, the timing of their product offers, and the priceat which the products will be offered. The merchant may sell products ata brick-and-mortar sales location, a virtual online site, or both.

Discounts have been used as part of some retail strategies. Discounttechniques include providing coupons and rebates to potential consumers,but these techniques have several disadvantages. In this regard, anumber of deficiencies and problems associated with the systems used to,among other things, provide discounts to consumers have been identified.Initial registration and setup to allow a merchant to provide dealsusing a deal system is typically a lengthy and involved process. Thisprocess may include separate steps by representatives of a deal companyto verify that a user who wishes to create a deal is an authorizedrepresentative of the merchant, and that deal offers prepared by themerchant are valid and likely to be of interest to consumers. Thehands-on nature of the deal generation process means that the process isnot scalable as the number of merchants accessing the system increases,since each merchant must interact with a staff member of the dealcompany for verification, deal generation, and various other steps inthe process. As more and more merchants join the system, more and morestaff members are required to meet the needs of these merchants in areasonable time frame.

Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, many of theseidentified problems have been solved by developing solutions that areincluded in embodiments of the present invention, many examples of whichare described in detail herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In general, embodiments of the present invention provide herein systems,methods and computer readable media for programmatically registering andverifying a merchant, and allowing the merchant to generate and/orrevise deal offers. In providing such functionality, the system can beconfigured to, for example, monitor and analyze various deal offers,including current deal offers and analytics data about deal-relatedpurchases, that enable the system to determine the relativesuccessfulness of a deal offer for a merchant and/or category ofmerchant. These deal offers may be indexed with a set of merchantself-service indicators, such that when a new merchant registers withthe system, the system determines the merchant self-service indicatorsfor the newly added merchant and suggests deals associated with thosemerchant self-service indicators. Upon determining what has been moresuccessful or is expected to be a more successful deal offer for themerchant based on the merchant self-service indicators, the system canpresent the deal offer to the newly registered merchant for approvaland/or make the deal offer to consumers programmatically by apromotional system located remotely from the merchant device and theconsumer device. In some embodiments, the remotely located promotionalsystem may be further configured to revise the deal offerprogrammatically and/or upon receiving the merchant's approval of theproposed edits to the deal offer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIGS. 1-8 show example graphical user interface displays that may bepresented by various components of systems in accordance with someembodiments discussed herein;

FIGS. 9-11 are flow charts showing exemplary processes of registering amerchant, verifying the merchant, and programmatically generating a dealin accordance with some embodiments discussed herein;

FIG. 12 shows an example system in accordance with some embodimentsdiscussed herein; and

FIG. 13 shows a schematic block diagram of circuitry that can beincluded in a computing device, such as a merchant machine, consumermachine and/or promotional system, in accordance with some embodimentsdiscussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some,but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, embodimentsof the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should notbe construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfyapplicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information” and similarterms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of beingcaptured, transmitted, received, displayed and/or stored in accordancewith various example embodiments. Thus, use of any such terms should notbe taken to limit the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Further, wherea computing device is described herein to receive data from anothercomputing device, it will be appreciated that the data may be receiveddirectly from the another computing device or may be received indirectlyvia one or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for example,one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, basestations, and/or the like, sometimes referred to herein as a “network.”Similarly, where a computing device is described herein to send data toanother computing device, it will be appreciated that the data may besent directly to the another computing device or may be sent indirectlyvia one or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for example,one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, basestations, and/or the like.

FIGS. 1-8 show example displays that may be presented by one or moredisplay screens of one or more machines, sometimes referred to herein as“merchant devices,” in accordance with some embodiments discussedherein. For example, the displays of FIGS. 1-8 can be presented to amerchant by desktop or laptop computer, or by a mobile, handheldmerchant device. These displays may aid in facilitating the registrationand verification of a merchant with a promotional system. These displaysmay further assist with generation of a coupon and/or other discountoffer for the merchant's products and/or services, which are sometimesreferred to herein as “deal offers” or, more simply, “deals.” The dealsgenerated in accordance with some embodiments discussed herein can thenbe presented to one or more consumers using machines, which aresometimes referred to herein as “consumer devices.”

The displays of FIGS. 1-8 can be used to provide a relatively simple,quick, and intuitive way for the merchant to register with a promotionalsystem and to create deals by using the promotional system. For example,the promotional system may include one or more third party computerdevices. Further examples of ways for the merchant to create deals andfor a consumer to redeem deals are discussed in commonly-assigned U.S.Patent Application Publications No. 2011/0313840, filed Mar. 17, 2011,titled “SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING LOCATION BASED DISCOUNTRETAILING,”, and Provisional U.S. Patent 61/618,338, filed Mar. 30,2012, titled “GENERATING DEAL OFFERS AND PROVIDING ANALYTICS DATA,”,which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The displays of FIGS. 1-8 can be used to register a merchant with thepromotional system, to verify that the user is an authorizedrepresentative of the merchant, and to create deals for products basedon merchant self-service indicators associated with the merchant. In thecontext of the present application, the term “merchant self-serviceindicator” relates to data associated with the merchant that may be usedto identify a set of deal parameters for suggesting a deal to themerchant. For example, the merchant self-service indicator may be afeature or characteristic of the merchant, such as a the type ofindustry of the merchant, the type of products or services sold by themerchant, the size of the merchant, the location of the merchant, thesales volume of the merchant, reviews and ratings for the merchant, orthe like. In some embodiments, the merchant self-service indicators area result of analytics that allow for generation of deals that are idealfor the particular merchant's circumstances. For example, the merchantself-service indicators may be used to identify optimal deals for theparticular merchant based on their exact location (e.g. the particularcity street of the merchant as opposed to a wider range, such as a zipcode), the merchant's exact products and services offered (e.g.,pizzerias that only serve deep dish pizza, restaurants that becomenightclubs after 11:00 pm), the merchant's price point (e.g.,barbershops that charge more than $20 for a haircut), or the like. Thesemerchant self-service indicators may be used to identify deal parametersthat were used by other merchants that share one or more same or similarmerchant self-service indicators. For example, after initialregistration and verification, the promotional system may identify themerchant self-service indicators associated with the newly registeredmerchant, such as by looking up the merchant in a merchant database orby receiving the merchant self-service indicators directly from themerchant (e.g., by a fillable form). The identified merchantself-service indicators may be cross-referenced with deal offers fromother merchants to identify deal offers that were successful for othermerchants with the same or similar merchant self-service indicators.Successful deal offers for merchants with similar merchant self-servicecharacteristics may be used to generate a suggested promotion for thenewly registered merchant, and the newly registered merchant may confirmthe suggested promotion to offer the promotion to consumers via thepromotional system. The promotional system may also provide an interfaceallowing the merchant to edit or otherwise modify the suggestedpromotion before confirmation.

FIG. 9-11 show example methods, namely processes 900, 1000, and 1100,that may be executed by one or more machines (some examples of which arediscussed in connection with FIGS. 12 and 13) to provide the displays ofFIGS. 1-8, among others, in accordance with some embodiments discussedherein. These processes may be performed by computing devices as knownin the art and described below with respect to FIGS. 12 and 13.

FIG. 9 depicts an example method for providing merchant self-service.The process 900 begins and waits for a user's indication that they wishto register as a merchant, such as by receiving merchant identificationinformation at action 902. Users may arrive at an interface forregistering with a promotional system in a variety of manners. Forexample, the user may perform an Internet search such as “RestaurantDeal Promotions” and arrive at a link to a website managed by thepromotional system, or the user may be aware of the promotional systemand navigate directly to the promotional system's website. In someembodiments, users may be brought to the promotional system by amarketing campaign (e.g., a direct e-mail, phone call, or the like).Merchants may, for example, be provided with a customized interface(e.g., a custom uniform resource locator) that may pre-complete certainfields, forms, or other data, such as the merchant identificationinformation. In one example, the display 100 of FIG. 1 is shown asincluding a series of fields 102-106 allowing the user to enter merchantidentification information to be provided to a promotional system. Themerchant identification information may include the name of the merchant104, the merchant's address 106, the merchant's phone number 102, themerchant's zip code (not shown), the merchant's e-mail address (notshown), or any other information that may be used to identify themerchant. In some embodiments, the promotional system may independentlydetermine some or all of the merchant identification information, suchas by accessing a browser cookie associated with the user's browsingsession or by identifying the internet protocol address used by theuser.

The display 100 (and other exemplary displays such as depicted in FIGS.2-8) may allow for input of such information as described relative toaction 902. For example, the display 100 may be presented by a merchantdevice, such as a web browser executing on a desktop, laptop, or tabletcomputer, as a mobile application on a mobile device, or via any otherformat suitable for allowing the user to access the promotional system.

At action 904, the merchant identification information is verified.Verification of the merchant identification information ensures that theuser is authorized to generate promotions on behalf of the merchant.This step is generally desirable in order to ensure that deal offersgenerated using the promotional system will be honored by the merchant.For example, without verification or other security controls, it mightbe possible for an unauthorized user to generate deal offers for amerchant without that merchant's knowledge.

The displays 200-400 as depicted in FIGS. 2-4 provide an exemplary setof interfaces for performing the verification process described inaction 904. The display 200 depicts a screen that might be displayedafter the user has provided the merchant identification informationdescribed with respect to action 902. The display 200 shows the results202 of a lookup operation performed on the merchant identificationinformation, to attempt to identify a merchant associated with themerchant identification information. For example, a merchant name andaddress may be used in conjunction with a merchant database to identifycontact information for the merchant with that name at that address. Insome embodiments, the merchant may also be asked to select or confirmother merchant self-service indicators. For example, the merchantdatabase may include a merchant category (e.g., restaurants, hotels,bed-and-breakfasts, nail salons, etc.), a list of goods and servicesoffered by the merchant (e.g., a single merchant, such as a hotel, mightoffer golf outings, rooms for overnight stays, restaurant reservations,and spa treatments), and other merchant self-service indicators that areknown, suspected, or suggested for the particular merchant. The merchantmay be prompted to add, edit, select, confirm, or delete theseindicators to update the merchant database with these self-serviceindicators. In some embodiments, these merchant self-service indicatorsmay be derived by accessing a website associated with the merchant toinitially populate the merchant database.

In some embodiments, if the promotional system is unable to identify themerchant from the merchant identification information, the user may beprovided with a prompt to register via an alternative method. Forexample, if the merchant has just opened a new location and the newlocation is not yet stored in the merchant database, then thepromotional system may provide for manual verification by a staffmember. In such a case, the promotional system may display an errormessage, requesting the user to submit the merchant for manualverification.

The display 200 may also provide fields 204-206 for the user to entertheir name 204 and an e-mail address 206 to be associated with themerchant registration. The user name and e-mail may also be used with anotification system to verify that the user is an authorizedrepresentative of the merchant as will now be described in furtherdetail. The display 200 may further provide for an interface control 208for the user to indicate that the result of the lookup operation iserroneous. The display 300 provides an interface for contacting themerchant using an alternative contact method other than that provided bythe interface through which the user is accessing the promotionalsystem. This alternative contact information may describe a “verified”or “known good” method of reaching the merchant, such as an officialphone number, address, e-mail address, IP address, or the likeassociated with the merchant. The merchant database may containinformation identifying such “verified” contact methods, or thepromotional system may determine the verified contact methods by othermeans, such as by accessing the merchant's website.

The user may be prompted to select an interface control 302 to initiatecontact via the verified contact method. For example, the display 300provides an interface control 302 that initiates a phone call to atelephone number associated with the merchant as retrieved from themerchant database. The initiated phone call may include a recording thatprovides a verification code to the user. Upon receiving the phone call,the user is provided with the verification code for entry using aninterface field 304 depicted in the display 300. The display 300 mayalso provide for an interface control to continue the verificationprocess later, such as via the “call me later” control 306 depicted inthe display 300. Upon entry of the verification code, the user mayproceed to the next step via a “next” interface control 308.

At action 908, the process 900 determines whether the verificationprocess was successful. If the user successfully completes theverification process (e.g., the user enters the proper code as receivedduring the telephone call), the user may be presented with aconfirmation screen, such as the screen depicted in the display 400. Theconfirmation screen may include a series of selections 402 allowing theuser to select particular options for their account. For example, theuser may indicate that they wish to receive further information aboutparticular products or services offered by the promotional system, orthat they wish to initiate particular deal offers. Upon selection ofthese options, the user may confirm the selections and proceed to thenext step via a “submit” interface control 404. The process 900 may thenproceed to action 912, where the merchant is registered with thepromotional system.

If the verification process is unsuccessful because the code is enteredincorrectly or because the business cannot be found, then the processproceeds to action 910. At action 910, the user is informed that theregistration process has failed. For example, the user may be presentedwith an error screen, such as depicted with respect to the display 500as shown in FIG. 5. The process 900 then returns to action 902 to awaitnew merchant identification information.

If the verification process is successful, at action 912 the merchant isregistered with the system. The registration process may includeestablishing account credentials for the user, such as a user id andpassword. The account credentials may be associated with the particularmerchant, such that a user that logs in with said account credentials isprovided with account permissions to create deals on the merchant'sbehalf. In some embodiments, user accounts are provided with variouspermission levels. For example, a business owner may establish anadministrator account (e.g., account credentials for the owner), andmultiple additional accounts with reduced permissions (e.g., dealscreated by the additional accounts must be approved by the owner, or theadditional accounts may not be able to create deals with a value inexcess of a certain dollar amount, or the like). The process 912 thenproceeds to action 914.

At action 914, the process 900 may determine a set of merchant screeningparameters. The merchant screening parameters may provide a mechanism tofilter merchants before allowing merchants to provide deal offers viathe promotional system. For example, if merchants have proven to beunreliable in the past, or have not honored previous deal offers, thenthe merchants may be prevented from generating new deal offers. Themerchant screening parameters may thus function as a sort of merchant“credit check” to determine if the merchant will be allowed to providedeal offers using the promotional system. Various factors may beutilized for the merchant screening parameters, including but notlimited to the size of the merchant, the age of the merchant, an averagereview score (e.g., a review score as provided by merchant reviewwebsites), a social networking metric (e.g., a number of “Likes” orother approval metrics received on a merchant social networking page),the number of locations the merchant maintains, the merchant creditscore, a merchant risk model determined by a various factors, or anyother factor that may indicate the merchant is or is not a goodcandidate for providing deal offers. The merchant screening parametersmay be determined by the promotional system, or in communication with anexternal system or systems. In some embodiments, merchants areidentified within the merchant database as whether or not the merchantis qualified to provide deal offers, such that the merchant is instantlynotified whether they have qualified upon registration.

At action 916, a determination is made as to whether the merchantscreening parameters meet a particular merchant screening threshold.Although the term merchant screening threshold may be understood torelate to a minimum metric value for providing deals via the promotionalsystem, the merchant screening threshold may additionally oralternatively involve other methods of weighting and measuring themerchant screening parameters. For example, a particular merchantscreening parameter or parameters may act as flags which, if present,immediately qualify or disqualify the merchant from creating deal offersvia the promotional system. One or more of the merchant screeningparameters may be combined to generate a merchant quality score, whichis then compared against a minimum quality score to determine if themerchant has passed the merchant screening threshold. Calculation of themerchant quality score may include a formula using a plurality ofdifferent merchant screening parameters, and the merchant screeningparameters may be assigned particular weights. Certain merchantscreening parameters may be weighted more heavily for certain industriesor merchant types than others. For example, food critic reviews may beweighted more heavily for a fine dining restaurant than for a fast foodrestaurant as a judge of the quality of the particular merchant, or themerchant screening threshold may be lowered or eliminated in particularmarkets that do not have many merchant participants. The process 900proceeds to action 917 if the merchant screening parameters fail to meetthe merchant screening threshold. If the merchant screening parametersmeet or exceed the merchant screening threshold, the process 900proceeds to action 918.

At action 917, the user may be presented with a display indicating thatthey are not eligible to create deal offers. For example, the display600 as depicted with respect to FIG. 6 provides a message to the userindicating that the merchant will not be able to create deal offersusing the promotional system.

At action 918, once the merchant has been verified as meeting themerchant screening threshold, one or more merchant self-serviceindicators are determined for the merchant. As described above, themerchant self-service indicators provide data about the merchant thatmay be used to suggest appropriate deal recommendations to the merchant.These merchant self-service indicators may include variouscharacteristics about the merchant, such as the merchant size, location,industry, and the like. In some embodiments, this information may beprovided manually by the merchant during the registration process.Additionally or alternatively, the merchant self-service indicators maybe accessed or derived by the promotional system from the merchantidentification information. For example, the merchant identificationinformation may be used to identify the name, address, industry, andgoods and services sold by the merchant by using the merchant databaseas described above. The merchant database may further include othermerchant self-service indicators, such as merchant size, number oflocations, and the like. As yet another alternative or additional methodof obtaining merchant self-service indicators, the promotional systemmay access various third party websites and/or databases to identify themerchant self-service indicators once the identity of the merchant hasbeen ascertained. After identifying the merchant self-serviceindicators, the process 900 proceeds to action 920.

At action 920, a deal offer is generated using the merchant self-serviceindicators. Generation of the deal offer may include selecting certaindeal parameters and deal content based on the merchant self-serviceindicators. As used in the present application, the term “dealparameters” may be understood to refer to structural properties of thedeal offer, such as the discount level offered, the quantity of dealoffers to make available to consumers, the duration of the deal offer,the terms and conditions associated with the deal offer, pricing betweenthe merchant and the promotional system, a return on investment orprofit margin for the deal, and the like. The term “deal content” may beunderstood to refer to cosmetic display factors that influence how thedeal is displayed to consumers. For example, deal content may include animage associated with the deal, a narrative description of the deal orthe merchant, a display template for association with the deal, or thelike. For example, the merchant self-service indicators may be used toidentify deal offers that were generated by merchants with similarcharacteristics to the merchant self-service indicators. Various otherfactors may be used to generate the deal offer, such as the success ofthe deal offers generated by the merchants with similar characteristics,the product availability of the merchant, and the like.

Different merchants may receive different pricing from the deal systembased on different factors. For example, merchants that have highersales volume (and thus are more likely to sell deal offers), or that areperceived as higher quality (and thus are more desirable) may be offeredpreferable pricing over smaller or lower quality merchants. In thisregard, the promotional system may adjust the pricing of deal offersbased on the merchant self-service characteristics to adjust pricing forthe particular merchant. For example, the price of deal offers offeredto the merchant may be adjusted so that the merchant is guaranteed apositive return on their investment, deal offer prices may be adjustedbased on the size or volume of the merchant, or any other adjustment maybe made to the deal offer parameters as appropriate for the merchantself-service indicators of the particular merchant. Additionally oralternatively, deal content, such as deal narratives, images, or othercosmetic features that are presented to a user in connection with thedeal offer, may also be generated using the merchant self-serviceindicators.

An example process for generating a deal offer using one or moremerchant self-service indicators is described further below with respectto FIG. 10. After generating the deal offer, the process 900 proceeds toaction 922.

At action 922, the deal offer is provided to the user as a suggesteddeal offer. The deal offer may be presented to the merchant via adisplay such as the display 700 depicted with respect to FIG. 7. Thedisplay 700 may further provide the user with the ability to edit orotherwise modify the deal before submitting the deal to be presented toconsumers. For example, the merchant may modify the discount level ofthe deal offer, the price of the deal offer, the quantity of the dealavailable, various terms and conditions of the offer, or any otherparameters associated with the deal offer. An interface to edit thesedeal parameters is provided by a series of interface controls 702 asdepicted with respect to the display 700. The user may also preview animage of the deal via a preview window 704. The user may confirm thedeal parameters using a confirmation interface control 706. As describedabove, the parameters of the generated deal may be derived from otherdeals that have been created by other merchants with the same or similarcharacteristics to the newly registered merchant. For example, arestaurant may be presented with deal parameters that provide a similardiscount levels to other restaurants near their location, to otherrestaurants of a similar type (e.g., sushi restaurants, Mexicanrestaurants, etc.), to other restaurants with a similar sales volume, orany combination of factors. In this manner, the user may be providedwith a good “starting point” for generating a deal offer for use withthe promotional system.

As described above, the merchant may also be provided with cosmetic dealcontent, such as a suggested stock image and narrative for the provideddeal offer. The display 700 may also provide for the ability to uploadtheir own image, to adjust the deal narrative, or to add, edit, delete,or confirm any additional deal content associated with the deal.

In some embodiments, the merchant may be presented with a plurality ofdeal offers for selection and/or confirmation. For example, thepromotional system may identify several deal offers that may beappropriate for the merchant based on the merchant self-serviceindicators, and allow the merchant to select, edit, and/or confirm oneor more of the identified deal offers. In some embodiments, the merchantmay be presented with different deal offers for various products andservices offered by the merchant. For example, a hotel that offersgolfing, restaurant dining, and overnight rooms may be presented withseparate deal offers for golf outings, dinner discounts, and roomdiscounts, respectively. In this manner, the merchant may be providedwith the ability to promote particular products or services based ontheir particular needs. Deal offers may also be presented to themerchant based on other factors, such as the demand for particulardeals, deal offers being offered by competitors in the same or similarmarkets, or various other factors that might result in generation ofappropriate deals for the merchant.

After presenting the deal to the user, the process 900 may proceed toaction 924, where the process may wait until receiving approval of thedeal offer from the user.

At action 924, the user may confirm that the deal offer is acceptable.As described above, this approval may come after the merchant has editedthe deal offer, such that the edited deal is approved rather than theoriginally generated deal offer. The approval process may also includethe user providing payment information, agreeing to contract terms, orany other actions that may be necessary to provide the deal offer toconsumers. The display 800 as depicted with respect to FIG. 8 shows anexample of one such interface, where the user is prompted to enterpayment information via a set of payment information entry fields 802 toensure that the merchant is paid for the deal offers purchased byconsumers. For example, the user may provide tax identificationinformation, bank account information, and the like. The various otherinterfaces may provide a signature capture pad or other means fordisplaying and receiving confirmation of contract terms, a final reviewand approval screen, or any other interfaces that may be beneficial forfinalizing the deal offer. Once the deal offer is confirmed at action924, the method proceeds to action 926 whereby the deal offer isprovided to consumers.

At action 926, the deal offer may go “live” in that it is made availableto consumers via the promotional system. At this point consumers mayselect and purchase the deal offer for redemption with the merchant.Various methods of redemption may be offered such as but not limited tophysical printing of a coupon to provide to the merchant, the display ofa quick recognition (QR) code for scanning at the merchantpoint-of-sale, the use of near-field communications (NFC) or anotherwireless protocol to transmit the deal offer to the merchant, or thelike. In some embodiments, redemption is performed by the same merchantsystem used to initially register and verify the merchant and togenerate the deal.

The process 900 ends at action 928, after providing the newly generateddeal to consumers. Although the process 900 is describing as ending onlyafter providing the newly generated deal to consumers, it should also beappreciated that the process 900 may include various options andalternatives for exiting before providing the newly generated deal. Forexample, a newly registered merchant may complete the verificationprocess, but stop short of issuing a new deal offer on their firstlogin. Instead, the merchant may choose to exit and return later togenerate the deal offer.

FIG. 10 shows process 1000, which is an example of an algorithm that maybe used to automatically generate programmatically proposed deal offerparameters based on merchant self-service indicators such as presentedby display 700 of FIG. 7. In some embodiments, the deal parameters maybe presented or otherwise previewed to the merchant in a display (suchas display 700) each time the parameters are outputted by process 1000.In other embodiments, the deal parameters may not be presented orotherwise previewed to the merchant in a display (such as display 700)each time the parameters are outputted by process 1000. The process 1000may be performed in response to an initial merchant registration, suchas described above with respect to the process 900 described in FIG. 9.For example, upon initial registration, the process 1000 may generate adeal offer from merchant self-service parameters identified or otherwisederived using merchant identification information provided during theregistration process. The actions of the process 1000 describe variousmerchant self-service indicators such as merchant category, geographicarea, customer purchase histories, and the like. Although severalspecific merchant self-service indicators are enumerated, this shouldnot be understood to be an exhaustive list, and various other merchantself-service indicators or combinations of merchant self-serviceindicators may also be employed to identify suggested deals formerchants during the initial registration process. The process 1000begins at action 1002.

At 1004, the process may analyze deal parameters associated with othermerchants in the merchant's category. For example, the promotionalsystem can promote a plurality of merchants that are categorizedtogether by the promotional system. For example, the promotional systemmay offer deals and/or otherwise promote businesses that provide spatreatments. Each of these businesses can be categorized by thepromotional system as a spa. As another example, businesses that servefood and drink after payment is received can be categorized as a“Deli/Coffee Shop” by the promotional system. In some embodiments, theremay be broader categories and/or sub-categories. For example, a “Spa”category may include a subcategory for a “Facial Specialist,” and itselfmay be a subcategory for the broader “Health and Beauty” category. Asanother example, a “Deli/Coffee Shop” category may be a subcategory of a“Restaurants” category, which may itself be a subcategory of a “Food andDrink” category. Deal parameters for each category/subcategory ofmerchants can be assigned a value related to how successful orunsuccessful they are (e.g., how well they sell and how much profit theymake the respective merchant), and can be used in determining proposedparameters for the merchant benefiting from process 1000. In thismanner, deal parameters employed by other merchants in the same categoryas the newly registered merchant may be used to generate an initial dealfor the newly registered merchant.

At 1006, the processor can be configured to analyze deal parametersassociated with other merchants in the merchant's geographic area. Forexample, certain neighborhoods may attract people willing to spend moremoney than other neighborhoods. The promotional system can be configuredto take into consideration the merchant's neighborhood when determiningproposed deal parameters. Additional examples of providing real-timedeal offers within a merchant's vicinity are discussed inpreviously-incorporated, commonly-assigned U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2011/0313840, filed Mar. 17, 2011, titled “SYSTEM ANDMETHODS FOR PROVIDING LOCATION BASED DISCOUNT RETAILING.”

At 1008, the processor can be configured to analyze non-deal analyticsassociated with the merchant. For example, the merchant's point-of-saledevice can be configured to report some or all of the sales information(e.g., dollar amount received, time of day, profitability, etc.) to thepromotional system, regardless of whether the sales information isrelated to a deal. As another example, data stored in the merchantdatabase such as the particular products and services offered by themerchant or the price point of said products and services might beexamined to assist with generation of a deal offer. For example, a hairsalon charging $13 for a haircut and style might benefit from differentdeal offers than a hair salon charging $150 for a haircut and style, ora 5-star hotel might benefit from different deal offer structures than a1 star motel. The non-deal analytics can then be analyzed by thepromotional system to determine, for example, how busy the merchant iscurrently, when the merchant's busiest/slowest times are historically,when the merchant's most/least profitable times are historically, and/orany other sales-related information. The initial registration processmay further include providing access to the merchant's point-of-sale orother relevant information to the promotional system, such that suchdata is made available to the promotional system for deal generation.Additionally or alternatively, the promotional system may derive suchnon-deal analytic data from various websites (e.g., a merchant website),services (e.g., review sites or marketing databases), and otherinformation not provided directly by the merchant, but otherwiseaccessible by the merchant system.

At 1010, the processor can be configured to analyze the merchant'savailable product inventory or service availability (e.g., how many opentables at a restaurant, how many open appointments, etc.). Similarly,the processor can be configured to analyze the merchant's calendarand/or any other type of scheduler that is used to help the merchantkeep track of inventory and/or service availability and, thus, determinewhen a merchant may be more likely to benefit from a deal being offered.For example, the merchant may incorporate a scheduling system such as asystem as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/631,313 filedSep. 28, 2012, titled “SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS WITH DEAL OFFERS”, whichis herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

At 1012, consumer transactions that are reported to the promotionalsystem can also be weighed in the algorithm of process 1000 forgenerating proposed deal parameters. For example, the promotional systemcan be configured to determine for which prices and on what types ofproducts consumers are purchasing in a geographic area of the merchant(e.g., within one block, one mile, five miles, ten miles, and/or anyother selected distance from the merchant). As such, in response to thepromotional system determining that consumers are purchasing umbrellasat a higher rate than historical norms (i.e., suggesting that it may beraining within a target region), discounts on taxicabs (which mayencounter higher demand during rain periods) can be reduced or pausedprogrammatically in response to a central promotional system determininga deal offer should be paused in the absence of receiving a merchantrequest to do so. As another example, in response to determining thatconsumers are purchasing golf clubs in a club house of a local golfclub, deal parameters may be generated for a practice round at the golfclub whereby such newly purchased clubs may be used.

At 1014, proposed deal parameters (such as those shown in FIG. 7) can begenerated based on the results of the analyses of 1004-1012. In someembodiments, additional and/or different analyses may be included inprocess 1000. For example, the merchant may be provided with particulardeal offers targeted for customers with certain characteristics. Assuch, deal offers might be generated that are targeted to new customers(e.g., customers who do not currently do business with the merchant),existing customers, customers in a certain proximity to the merchant'splace of business, customers already in the physical store location, orthe like. The merchant may be presented with a list of such offerstailored to these different customer types, such that the merchant mayselect, edit, and/or confirm a deal offer to attract a certain customerdemographic. Further, some embodiments can skip to 1014 after performingfewer steps and/or after performing any of 1004-1012. As such, theprocess 1000 can generate proposed deal parameters based on variousanalytics related to the merchant's sales information, other merchant'ssales information and/or consumer's purchasing information.

The process 1000 may then proceed to action 1016 and display theproposed deal parameters for the merchant's approval. For example,display 700 may be presented at 1016 when requested. The process 1000ends at 1018.

FIG. 11 shows a process 1100, which is an example of an algorithm thatmay be used to monitor deal analytics that can be subsequently processedto provide new deal offers based on merchant self-service indicators(e.g., in accordance with process 900) and/or presented in a display,such as display 700 of FIG. 7. The process 1100 starts at 1102.

At 1104, a deal is offered. For example, the promotional systempublishes an advertisement on a website, sends an email, pushes anotification and/or otherwise notifies one or more potential consumersthat a deal is being offered.

At 1106, the promotional system and/or the merchant system can beconfigured to monitor sales and/or other analytics data associated withthe deal offer. For example, at 1106, the promotional system can beconfigured to keep track how many deals have sold, the deal value, thediscount value, how quickly the deals sold, where the deals are sold,what other deals were bought by the same or similar consumers, and/orany other data that may be analyzed by, e.g., processes 900 or 1000.

At 1108, merchant self-service indicators are determined for associationwith the deal offer. For example, the merchant that generated the dealmay be associated with various merchant self-service indicators, andthese indicators may be extracted and associated with the deal offer. Asan example, the type of merchant, the size of the merchant, and thelocation of the merchant may be associated with the deal so that othermerchants of a similar respective type, size, and location may analyzethe deal and associated deal analytics to generate deal parameters fortheir own use.

At action 1110, the deal offer is associated with the identifiedmerchant self-service indicators. This association may be tracked in apromotional database, such as a database that stores the deal offers, orin a merchant database, such as a database that stores information aboutparticular merchants. In some embodiments, a promotional system operatesto analyze and link data in a promotional database and a merchantdatabase to identify correlations and other analytics for the purpose ofgenerating parameters for deal offers. The process 1100 ends at action1112 after associating the particular deal offer with the particularmerchant self-service indicators of the merchant for which the deal wasoffered.

FIG. 12 shows a system 1200 including an example of a networkarchitecture for a retailing system, which may include one or moredevices and sub-systems that are configured to implement someembodiments discussed herein. For example, the system 1200 may include apromotional system 1202, which can include, for example, a promotionalserver 1204 and a promotional database 1206, among other things (notshown). The promotional server 1204 can be any suitable network serverand/or other type of processing device. The promotional database 1206can be any suitable network database configured to store deal parameterdata and/or analytics data, such as that discussed herein. In thisregard, the promotional system 1202 may include, for example, at leastone backend data server, network database, cloud computing device, amongother things. The promotional system 1202 may be further coupled to amerchant database 1216. As described above, the merchant database 1216may include information about one or more merchants for use in averification operation as described above with respect to FIG. 9. Themerchant database 1216 may be maintained by the promotional system 1202,or it may be external to the promotional system 1202. For example, themerchant database 1216 may be provided by a third party.

The promotional system 1202 can be coupled to one or more consumerdevices 1210A-810N and/or one or more merchant devices 1212A-1212N via anetwork 1214. In this regard, the network 1214 may include any wired orwireless communication network including, for example, a wired orwireless local area network (LAN), personal area network (PAN),metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), or the like,as well as any hardware, software and/or firmware required to implementit (such as, e.g., network routers, etc.). For example, the network 1214may include a cellular telephone, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, and/orWiMax network. Further, the network 1214 may include a public network,such as the Internet, a private network, such as an intranet, orcombinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocolsnow available or later developed including, but not limited to TCP/IPbased networking protocols.

The consumer devices 1210A-810N and/or the merchant devices 1212A-1212Nmay each be implemented as a personal computer and/or other networkeddevice, such as a cellular phone, tablet computer, mobile device, etc.,that may be used for any suitable purpose in addition to buying dealsand/or offering deals for sale. The depiction in FIG. 12 of “N”consumers and “M” merchants is merely for illustration purposes. Thesystem 1200 may also include at least one search engine system 1216and/or 3 rd party server 818, among other things.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic block diagram of circuitry 1300, some or allof which may be included in, for example, promotional system 1202,consumer devices 1208A-1208N and/or merchant devices 1214A-1214M. Asillustrated in FIG. 13, in accordance with some example embodiments,circuitry 1300 can includes various means, such as a processor 1302, amemory 1304, a communications module 1306, and/or an input/output module1308. In some embodiments, such as when the circuitry 1300 is includedin merchant devices 1214A-1214M and/or promotional system 1202, the dealgenerating/editing module 1310 and a verification module 1312 may alsoor instead be included. As referred to herein, “module” includeshardware, software and/or firmware configured to perform one or moreparticular functions. In this regard, the means of the circuitry 1300 asdescribed herein may be embodied as, for example, circuitry, hardwareelements (e.g., a suitably programmed processor, combinational logiccircuit, and/or the like), a computer program product comprisingcomputer-readable program instructions stored on a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium (e.g., a memory 1304) that is executable by asuitably configured processing device (e.g., a processor 1302), or somecombination thereof.

Processor 1302 may, for example, be embodied as various means includingone or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signalprocessor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digitalsignal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-coreprocessors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or morecomputers, various other processing elements including integratedcircuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integratedcircuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), or some combinationthereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 13 as a singleprocessor, in some embodiments the processor 1302 comprises a pluralityof processors. The plurality of processors may be embodied on a singlecomputing device or may be distributed across a plurality of computingdevices collectively configured to function as the circuitry 1300. Theplurality of processors may be in operative communication with eachother and may be collectively configured to perform one or morefunctionalities of the circuitry 1300 as described herein. In an exampleembodiment, the processor 1302 is configured to execute instructionsstored in the memory 1304 or otherwise accessible to the processor 1302.These instructions, when executed by the processor 1302, may cause thecircuitry 1300 to perform one or more of the functionalities of thecircuitry 1300 as described herein.

Whether configured by hardware, firmware/software methods, or by acombination thereof, the processor 1302 may comprise an entity capableof performing operations according to embodiments of the presentinvention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when theprocessor 1302 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor1302 may comprise specifically configured hardware for conducting one ormore operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example,when the processor 1302 is embodied as an executor of instructions, suchas may be stored in the memory 1304, the instructions may specificallyconfigure the processor 1302 to perform one or more algorithms andoperations described herein, such as those discussed in connection withFIGS. 9-11.

The memory 1304 may comprise, for example, volatile memory, non-volatilememory, or some combination thereof. Although illustrated in FIG. 13 asa single memory, the memory 1304 may comprise a plurality of memorycomponents. The plurality of memory components may be embodied on asingle computing device or distributed across a plurality of computingdevices. In various embodiments, the memory 1304 may comprise, forexample, a hard disk, random access memory, cache memory, flash memory,a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc readonly memory (DVD-ROM), an optical disc, circuitry configured to storeinformation, or some combination thereof. The memory 1304 may beconfigured to store information, data (including deal parameter dataand/or analytics data), applications, instructions, or the like forenabling the circuitry 1300 to carry out various functions in accordancewith example embodiments of the present invention. For example, in atleast some embodiments, the memory 1304 is configured to buffer inputdata for processing by the processor 1302. Additionally oralternatively, in at least some embodiments, the memory 1304 isconfigured to store program instructions for execution by the processor1302. The memory 1304 may store information in the form of static and/ordynamic information. This stored information may be stored and/or usedby the circuitry 1300 during the course of performing itsfunctionalities.

The communications module 1306 may be embodied as any device or meansembodied in circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprisingcomputer readable program instructions stored on a computer readablemedium (e.g., the memory 1304) and executed by a processing device(e.g., the processor 1302), or a combination thereof that is configuredto receive and/or transmit data from/to another device, such as, forexample, a second circuitry 1300 and/or the like. In some embodiments,the communications module 1306 (like other components discussed herein)can be at least partially embodied as or otherwise controlled by theprocessor 1302. In this regard, the communications module 1306 may be incommunication with the processor 1302, such as via a bus. Thecommunications module 1306 may include, for example, an antenna, atransmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, network interface card and/orsupporting hardware and/or firmware/software for enabling communicationswith another computing device. The communications module 1306 may beconfigured to receive and/or transmit any data that may be stored by thememory 1304 using any protocol that may be used for communicationsbetween computing devices. The communications module 1306 mayadditionally or alternatively be in communication with the memory 1304,the input/output module 1308 and/or any other component of the circuitry1300, such as via a bus.

Input/output module 1308 may be in communication with the processor 1302to receive an indication of a user input and/or to provide an audible,visual, mechanical, or other output to a user (e.g., merchant and/orconsumer). Some example visual outputs that may be provided to a user bythe circuitry 1300 are discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-8. As such,the input/output module 1308 may include support, for example, for akeyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen display, amicrophone, a speaker, a RFID reader, barcode reader, biometric scanner,and/or other input/output mechanisms. In embodiments wherein thecircuitry 1300 is embodied as a server or database, aspects of theinput/output module 1308 may be reduced as compared to embodiments wherethe circuitry 1300 is implemented as an end-user machine (e.g., consumerdevice and/or merchant device) or other type of device designed forcomplex user interactions. In some embodiments (like other componentsdiscussed herein), the input/output module 1308 may even be eliminatedfrom the circuitry 1300. Alternatively, such as in embodiments whereinthe circuitry 1300 is embodied as a server or database, at least someaspects of the input/output module 1308 may be embodied on an apparatusused by a user that is in communication with the circuitry 1300. Theinput/output module 1308 may be in communication with the memory 1304,the communications module 1306, and/or any other component(s), such asvia a bus. Although more than one input/output module and/or othercomponent can be included in the circuitry 1300, only one is shown inFIG. 13 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing (like the other componentsdiscussed herein).

The deal generating/editing module 1310 may also or instead be includedand configured to perform the functionality discussed herein related togenerating and/or editing deal offers discussed above. In someembodiments, some or all of the functionality of generating and/orediting deal offers may be performed by the processor 1302. In thisregard, the example processes and algorithms discussed herein can beperformed by at least one processor 1302 and/or the dealgenerating/editing module 1310. For example, non-transitory computerreadable media can be configured to store firmware, one or moreapplication programs, and/or other software, which include instructionsand other computer-readable program code portions that can be executedto control each processor (e.g., the processor 1302 and/or the dealgenerating/editing module 1310) of the components of the system 1200 toimplement various operations, including the examples shown above. Assuch, a series of computer-readable program code portions are embodiedin one or more computer program products and can be used, with acomputing device, server, and/or other programmable apparatus, toproduce machine-implemented processes.

For example, the deal generating/editing module 1310 can be configuredto analyze multiple potential deal offers (e.g., including variouscombinations of days, times, products, durations, etc.) in view of knownmerchant needs (such as, e.g., needing to sell excess inventory,underutilized service appointments, and/or inventory about to expire) torecommend one (or a list) of potential deal offers to present to amerchant device. In this way, deal generating/editing module 1310 maysupport multiple ranking algorithms, such as those discussed above, sothat the selected algorithm may be chosen at runtime. Further, thepresent configuration can enable flexibility in terms of configuringadditional contexts.

In some embodiments, the deal generating/editing module 1310 iterativelyscores potential deal offers and/or ranks a list of the potential dealoffers. The promotional system 1202 may be configured to view one ormore of the top potential deal offers, and the respective merchantdevice may be configured to display only the top potential deal offer.In some embodiments, the promotional system may likewise display onlyone or no potential deal offers and the merchant device may display noneor a plurality of deal offers. The deal generating/editing module 1310can be configured to access multiple deal offers, and generate initialscores for the multiple deal offers and/or an initial ranking of themultiple deal offers. In some embodiments, the multiple deal offers canbe ranked in accordance with a promotional campaign strategy, whereinmultiple deals are prescheduled and coordinated for the future.Thereafter, the deal generating/editing module 1310 can adjust theinitial scores for the multiple deals and/or the initial ranking of themultiple deals at least once (and potentially multiple times). The dealgenerating/editing module 1310 may adjust the scores and/or the rankingsof the deals in one or multiple ways. For example, the dealgenerating/editing module 1310 may use one or more correction factors inorder to alter the initial scores or subsequent scores for the multipledeals and/or the initial ranking of the multiple deals or subsequentranking(s) of the multiple deals. As another example, the dealgenerating/editing module 1310 may use one or more rules to adjust theinitial scores, the subsequent scores, the initial ranking of themultiple deal offers, or the subsequent ranking(s) of the multiple dealoffers (such as by excluding a deal based on a business rule).

In adjusting the initial scores, the subsequent scores, the initialranking and/or the subsequent ranking(s), the deal generating/editingmodule 1310 may analyze consumer data, merchant data and/or deal data.For example, the deal generating/editing module 1310 may analyzemerchant data during one scoring or one ranking of the multiple dealoffers and analyze merchant data (or a different type of merchant data)during a subsequent scoring or a subsequent ranking For example, aplurality of deals can be preconfigured over the course of days, weeksand/or some other time frame, wherein only one or a few variables (suchas time, price, etc.) changes, and the other deal variables remain thesame as a control. This may help deal generating/editing module 1310 toconduct market research and/or otherwise determine what the best dealoffer is for a particular merchant. The merchant device may or may notinclude a user-configurable authorization feature to enable this and/orother features discussed herein.

The merchant data analyzed by the deal generating/editing module 1310may be the same type of merchant data in the different scoring orranking iterations. For example, the deal generating/editing module 1310may analyze a first type of geographic data in order to generate scoringfor the multiple deal offers or one ranking of the multiple deal offers,and may analyze a second type of geographic data in order to generatesubsequent scoring or a subsequent ranking In particular, the dealgenerating/editing module 1310 may use distance of the consumer(s) to adeal location to generate the initial scores for the multiple dealoffers and/or an ranking(s) of the multiple deal offers, and use thelocation of the consumer(s) in a city to determine whether to modify theinitial scores and/or to adjust the initial ranking of the multipledeals.

Alternatively and/or additionally, the deal generating/editing module1310 may analyze different types of user data in the different scoringor ranking iterations. For example, the deal generating/editing module1310 may analyze consumer and/or merchant data that does not includeuser past purchase history to generate scoring for the multiple dealsand/or one ranking of the multiple deals, and may analyze consumerand/or merchant past purchase/sale history to generate subsequentscoring or a subsequent ranking (such as using past purchase history tomodify the scores or to adjust an initial ranking of the deal offers).As another example, the deal generating/editing module 1310 may analyzemerchant and/or consumer data that does not include merchant and/orconsumer deal type preference(s) to generate scores for the multipledeals or one ranking of the multiple deals, and may analyze merchantand/or consumer deal type preference(s) to generate subsequent scoringor a subsequent ranking As still another example, the dealgenerating/editing module 1310 may analyze merchant and/or consumer datathat does not include any aspect of the consumer interest to generatescores for the multiple deals or one ranking of the multiple deals, andmay analyze consumer interest (such a user's open rate of previouse-mails and/or a consumer's click rate of links) to generate subsequentscoring or a subsequent ranking

The verification module 1312 may function to verify merchantidentification information when registering merchants with a system,such as the promotional system 1202. The verification module 1312 mayreceive merchant identification information and determine a merchantassociated with the merchant identification information, such as byperforming a lookup operation using a merchant database. Theverification module 1312 may be further configured to identify a contactmethod to verify that a user of the promotional system is authorized togenerate deals for the merchant associated with the merchantidentification information. For example, the verification module mayfunction to provide a unique code to the merchant via a contact methodidentified in the merchant database, and to receive confirmation of theunique code via the promotional system, such as by the process describedabove with respect to FIGS. 1-9. Once the merchant identificationinformation has been verified, the verification module 1312 may activatethe ability to generate deals for a user that provided the merchantidentification information.

The verification module 1312 may be further configured to determine if amerchant meets a minimum screening threshold for creation of deals usingthe promotional system. For example, the promotional system may employmetrics to ensure that only merchants that meet a certain criteria areallowed to provide deal offers using the promotional system. Theverification module 1312 may thus identify merchant screening parametersfor the merchant, and determine if those merchant screening parametersmeet the minimum threshold for creation of deal offers. If theverification module 1312 determines that the merchant meets the minimumthreshold, then the verification module 1312 may enable the ability togenerate deal offers and provide said deal offers to consumers using thepromotional system.

As will be appreciated, any such computer program instructions and/orother type of code may be loaded onto a computer, processor or otherprogrammable apparatus's circuitry to produce a machine, such that thecomputer, processor other programmable circuitry that execute the codeon the machine create the means for implementing various functions,including those described herein.

It is also noted that all or some of the information presented by theexample displays discussed herein can be based on data that is received,generated and/or maintained by one or more components of system 1200. Insome embodiments, one or more external systems (such as a remote cloudcomputing and/or data storage system) may also be leveraged to provideat least some of the functionality discussed herein.

As described above and as will be appreciated based on this disclosure,embodiments of the present invention may be configured as methods,mobile devices, backend network devices, and the like. Accordingly,embodiments may comprise various means including entirely of hardware orany combination of software and hardware. Furthermore, embodiments maytake the form of a computer program product on at least onenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readableprogram instructions (e.g., computer software) embodied in the storagemedium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilizedincluding non-transitory hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory, opticalstorage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described above withreference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods,apparatuses, systems and computer program products. It will beunderstood that each block of the circuit diagrams and processflowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the circuit diagrams andprocess flowcharts, respectively, can be implemented by various meansincluding computer program instructions. These computer programinstructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, suchas processor 1302, deal generating/editing module 1310, and/orverification module 1312 as discussed above with reference to FIG. 13,to produce a machine, such that the computer program product includesthe instructions which execute on the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus create a means for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable storage device (e.g., the memory 1304) that can directa computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to functionin a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in thecomputer-readable storage device produce an article of manufactureincluding computer-readable instructions for implementing the functiondiscussed herein. The computer program instructions may also be loadedonto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions discussed herein.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport combinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and programinstruction means for performing the specified functions. It will alsobe understood that each block of the circuit diagrams and processflowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the circuit diagrams andprocess flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedcomputer systems that perform the specified functions or steps, orcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseembodiments of the invention pertain having the benefit of the teachingspresented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings.Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the inventionare not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

1.-21. (canceled)
 22. A method for providing a merchant interface,comprised of editable interface control items and a preview window, themethod comprising: providing, via a first graphical user interface(GUI), a plurality of entry fields configured for receiving merchantidentification information; receiving, via input at the GUI, themerchant identification information; determining one or more merchantself-service indicators from the merchant identification information;selecting, based on at least a rate of sale, from one or more dealspreviously offered by at least one other merchant, one or more dealparameters, wherein the one or more deal offers previously offeredpreviously comprised the one or more deal parameters, and wherein the atleast one other merchant comprise at least one self-service indicator incommon with the one or more merchant self-service indicators;programmatically generating, using a processor, the one or more dealparameters and one or more deal content for a deal offer based on theone or more merchant self-service indicators, wherein the one or moredeal content are display factors comprising at least an image associatedwith the deal offer; providing, via a second GUI, a plurality ofeditable interface control items and a preview window, both theplurality of editable interface control items and the preview windowdisplayed concurrently on the second GUI, the plurality of editableinterface control items configured for providing, via display, the oneor more deal parameters, each of the plurality of interface controlitems configured for displaying a value of a respective deal parameteras indicated by a suggested deal offer, and further configured to beeditable, enabling selection of one or more alternative values for therespective deal parameter, the preview window configured to (i) displaya preview image of the deal offer in accordance with the first displayedvalue of the respective deal parameter as indicated by the suggesteddeal offer, and (ii) update the preview image in accordance with theselection of one or more alternative values for the respective dealparameter; programmatically generating one or more deal content itemsfor the deal offer; and providing, by electronic communication, via anetwork, the one or more deal content items to the at least oneconsumer.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more dealcontent items further comprise a quick recognition (QR) code enablingredemption at the merchant.
 24. The method of claim 22, furthercomprising: verifying that a user is an authorized representative of aparticular merchant using the merchant identification information,wherein the verification that the user is an authorized representativeof the particular merchant comprises: identifying merchantidentification information; providing, at a number associated with themerchant, a verification code; prompting for input of the verificationcode at the first interface; and upon entry of the verification,verifying that the user is an authorized representative of theparticular merchant.
 25. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or moredeal parameters are structural properties of the deal offer, comprisinga discount level offered, a quantity of deal offers to make available toconsumers, a duration of the deal offer, terms and conditions associatedwith the deal offer, and pricing between the merchant and thepromotional system.
 26. The method of claim 22, wherein the displayfactors further comprise one or more of a narrative description of thedeal offer or the merchant and a display template for association withthe deal offer.
 27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:providing, via display at the second GUI, each of the plurality ofinterface control items and an associated value of the respective dealparameter; and providing, via display at the second GUI, the one or morealternative values for the respective deal parameter at each of theplurality of interface control items.
 28. The method of claim 22,further comprising: receiving, while displaying the preview image of thedeal offer in accordance with the first displayed value of therespective deal parameter as indicated by the suggested deal offer, viainput at the second GUI, input indicating a selection of at least one ofthe one or more alternative values for the respective deal parameter;and providing, via the second GUI, the updated preview image inaccordance with the selection of the one or more alternative values forthe respective deal parameter.
 29. A computer program product forproviding a merchant interface, comprised of editable interface controlitems and a preview window, the computer program product comprising atleast one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable program code instructions stored therein, thecomputer-executable program code instructions comprising program codeinstructions for: providing, via a first graphical user interface (GUI),a plurality of entry fields configured for receiving merchantidentification information; receiving, via input at the GUI, themerchant identification information; determining one or more merchantself-service indicators from the merchant identification information;selecting, based on at least a rate of sale, from one or more dealspreviously offered by at least one other merchant, one or more dealparameters, wherein the one or more deal offers previously offeredpreviously comprised the one or more deal parameters, and wherein the atleast one other merchant comprise at least one self-service indicator incommon with the one or more merchant self-service indicators;programmatically generating, using a processor, the one or more dealparameters and one or more deal content for a deal offer based on theone or more merchant self-service indicators, wherein the one or moredeal content are display factors comprising at least an image associatedwith the deal offer; providing, via a second GUI, a plurality ofeditable interface control items and a preview window, both theplurality of editable interface control items and the preview windowdisplayed concurrently on the second GUI, the plurality of editableinterface control items configured for providing, via display, the oneor more deal parameters, each of the plurality of interface controlitems configured for displaying a value of a respective deal parameteras indicated by a suggested deal offer, and further configured to beeditable, enabling selection of one or more alternative values for therespective deal parameter, the preview window configured to (i) displaya preview image of the deal offer in accordance with the first displayedvalue of the respective deal parameter as indicated by the suggesteddeal offer, and (ii) update the preview image in accordance with theselection of one or more alternative values for the respective dealparameter; programmatically generating one or more deal content itemsfor the deal offer; and providing, by electronic communication, via anetwork, the one or more deal content items to the at least oneconsumer.
 30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the oneor more deal content items further comprise a quick recognition (QR)code enabling redemption at the merchant.
 31. The computer programproduct of claim 29, wherein the computer-executable program codeinstructions further comprise program code instructions for: verifyingthat a user is an authorized representative of a particular merchantusing the merchant identification information, wherein the verificationthat the user is an authorized representative of the particular merchantcomprises: identifying merchant identification information; providing,at a number associated with the merchant, a verification code; promptingfor input of the verification code at the first interface; and uponentry of the verification, verifying that the user is an authorizedrepresentative of the particular merchant.
 32. The computer programproduct of claim 29, wherein the one or more deal parameters arestructural properties of the deal offer, comprising a discount leveloffered, a quantity of deal offers to make available to consumers, aduration of the deal offer, terms and conditions associated with thedeal offer, and pricing between the merchant and the promotional system.33. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the displayfactors further comprise one or more of a narrative description of thedeal offer or the merchant and a display template for association withthe deal offer.
 34. The computer program product of claim 29, whereinthe computer-executable program code instructions further compriseprogram code instructions for: providing, via display at the second GUI,each of the plurality of interface control items and an associated valueof the respective deal parameter; and providing, via display at thesecond GUI, the one or more alternative values for the respective dealparameter at each of the plurality of interface control items.
 35. Thecomputer program product of claim 29, wherein the computer-executableprogram code instructions further comprise program code instructionsfor: receiving, while displaying the preview image of the deal offer inaccordance with the first displayed value of the respective dealparameter as indicated by the suggested deal offer, via input at thesecond GUI, input indicating a selection of at least one of the one ormore alternative values for the respective deal parameter; andproviding, via the second GUI, the updated preview image in accordancewith the selection of the one or more alternative values for therespective deal parameter.
 36. An apparatus for providing a merchantinterface, comprised of editable interface control items and a previewwindow, the apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least onememory including computer program code, the at least one memory and thecomputer program code configured to, with the processor, cause theapparatus to at least: provide, via a first graphical user interface(GUI), a plurality of entry fields configured for receiving merchantidentification information; receive, via input at the GUI, the merchantidentification information; determine one or more merchant self-serviceindicators from the merchant identification information; select, basedon at least a rate of sale, from one or more deals previously offered byat least one other merchant, one or more deal parameters, wherein theone or more deal offers previously offered previously comprised the oneor more deal parameters, and wherein the at least one other merchantcomprise at least one self-service indicator in common with the one ormore merchant self-service indicators; programmatically generate, usinga processor, the one or more deal parameters and one or more dealcontent for a deal offer based on the one or more merchant self-serviceindicators, wherein the one or more deal content are display factorscomprising at least an image associated with the deal offer; provide,via a second GUI, a plurality of editable interface control items and apreview window, both the plurality of editable interface control itemsand the preview window displayed concurrently on the second GUI, theplurality of editable interface control items configured for providing,via display, the one or more deal parameters, each of the plurality ofinterface control items configured for displaying a value of arespective deal parameter as indicated by a suggested deal offer, andfurther configured to be editable, enabling selection of one or morealternative values for the respective deal parameter, the preview windowconfigured to (i) display a preview image of the deal offer inaccordance with the first displayed value of the respective dealparameter as indicated by the suggested deal offer, and (ii) update thepreview image in accordance with the selection of one or morealternative values for the respective deal parameter; programmaticallygenerate one or more deal content items for the deal offer; andproviding, by electronic communication, via a network, the one or moredeal content items to the at least one consumer.
 37. The apparatus ofclaim 36, wherein the one or more deal content items further comprise aquick recognition (QR) code enabling redemption at the merchant.
 38. Theapparatus of claim 36, wherein the at least one memory and the computerprogram code are further configured to, with the processor, cause theapparatus to: verifying that a user is an authorized representative of aparticular merchant using the merchant identification information,wherein the verification that the user is an authorized representativeof the particular merchant comprises: identifying merchantidentification information; providing, at a number associated with themerchant, a verification code; prompting for input of the verificationcode at the first interface; and upon entry of the verification,verifying that the user is an authorized representative of theparticular merchant.
 39. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the one ormore deal parameters are structural properties of the deal offer,comprising a discount level offered, a quantity of deal offers to makeavailable to consumers, a duration of the deal offer, terms andconditions associated with the deal offer, and pricing between themerchant and the promotional system.
 40. The apparatus of claim 36,wherein the display factors further comprise one or more of a narrativedescription of the deal offer or the merchant and a display template forassociation with the deal offer.
 41. The apparatus of claim 36, whereinthe at least one memory and the computer program code are furtherconfigured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to: providing,via display at the second GUI, each of the plurality of interfacecontrol items and an associated value of the respective deal parameter;and providing, via display at the second GUI, the one or morealternative values for the respective deal parameter at each of theplurality of interface control items.
 42. The apparatus of claim 36,wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code arefurther configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:receiving, while displaying the preview image of the deal offer inaccordance with the first displayed value of the respective dealparameter as indicated by the suggested deal offer, via input at thesecond GUI, input indicating a selection of at least one of the one ormore alternative values for the respective deal parameter; andproviding, via the second GUI, the updated preview image in accordancewith the selection of the one or more alternative values for therespective deal parameter.